MARK HUGHES TAKES HUGE GAMBLE

THEY went with the red and black of Milan's No 22 last January, then the blue 26 of Chelsea's captain John Terry.

The money men have spent so much time courting the rich and famous, maybe Manchester City should relocate to Monaco.

Mark Hughes is the man playing roulette, gambling his future on a galaxy of stars brought in from the world's gaming tables.

City's manager missed out on Kaka and Terry, but still made a small dent in Sheikh Mansour's fortune by spending more than £100million this summer.

They want top four and Hughes must finish among the elite to survive another season at Eastlands. It's 50:50, down to a shake of the dice after another summer of upheaval at City.

Hughes knows the stakes involved, the risks associated when a team starts rubbing shoulders with the high-rollers at the top of the Premier League.

City have watched the trophies pile up at Old Trafford, but the gambling chips are in the hands of Hughes after he dared to dream.

Hughes, a decent, honourable and noble man, deserves this chance.

They have called it on by pinching Carlos Tevez from United, boldly signing Gareth Barry when he was bound for Liverpool, and paying a king's ransom for Emmanuel Adebayor.

There is a price to pay for stealing the stars and City are the soft target, a sizeable scalp for anyone earning under £100,000 a week at other clubs.

They asked for this, adopting a scattergun approach to the transfer market as Hughes assembles a team to compete at the top.

There is a touch of glitz and glamour about City again, with the whole world waiting for the superstars in the goldfish bowl to start swimming against the tide.

OLD BOYS - Craig Bellamy and Robinho are key players in City's squad

Tevez swapped guaranteed wins for potential losses at City, a turbulent, potentially traumatic ride that will be exhilarating one minute, exhausting the next.

The City striker will be puffing out his cheeks whenever they slip up, asking for the score from the Stretford End as they try to stay the pace.

At times the football will be breathtaking, creating a new way of playing as Tevez, Adebayor and Robinho run rings around opposition defenders.

The City Way will become their trademark, a new style, a swagger that is referred to across the country as they capture the imagination.

Full of running and full of flair, their forward line will strike fear through opposition defences.

A look at the bench, with Craig Bellamy scowling and Roque Santa Cruz stirring, will be added motivation. They will be ready to strip off at a moment's notice and maximize the mayhem.

Then it will be high-fives, elaborate dances down by the corner flag and a queue of team-mates paying tribute to their remarkable talents.

The supporters will rush down from the stands, reaching out to touch the hands of the players as they celebrate another three Premier League points.

Let the good times roll, with everyone at Eastlands caught up in the land of make-believe by a manager who can make it all happen.

Then there will be the dark moments, when internationals fail to return from duty on time or pull muscles whenever the established order are in town.

Those are the pitfalls of managing a dressing-room busting with egos and bulging bank balances, signing superstars when there is so much at stake.

For Hughes to break the cycle and become the first "other" team since Everton to finish in the top four, he must control those swollen egos.

Agent

Tevez will instantly win the hearts of City's supporters, breaking out of that infamous billboard to become a blue-nose. Wearing his heart on his sleeve, he will whip them into a frenzy, fulfilling the fans' fantasies with his energy and endeavour.

He will be the pick-me-up when times are tough, pulling the team out of losing streaks and knitting the personalities back together.

Tevez is captaincy material, a potential binding agent for a team who will be at risk the moment they are rumbled by the opposition.

Hughes will have his hands full, ignoring the warning signs around Adebayor's neck when he forked out £25m for a whole load of Togolese trouble.

Swings

Adebayor's talent is undeniable, a hooked effort against Villarreal in last season's Champions League quarter-final in Spain underlining his class. Then came his scandalous performance in both legs of the semi-final against United, missing in action when his team needed his magic.

City will suffer his manufactured mood swings, something they are accustomed to after Robinho's first season in England.

His guarantee of goals, along with his creative streak, can spark City's surge up the table, shrugging off the shackles as they settle in for the season.

They are already awash with optimism, determined to emerge from the shadows of the steeply-banked, cantilevered stands at Old Trafford.

It will take time before this team is capable of racking up the 90 points or more needed for a run at the title, but that is the end game.

In the short term they are in danger of ripping the heart and soul out of the team by buying in players for sky-high prices and space-age salaries.

They risk alienating fans' favourites such as Shaun Wright-Phillips but others, such as Stephen Ireland, will be safe in the short term.

The absence of Europa League football will help, with rivals United, along with Chelsea, Liverpool and the increasingly vulnerable Arsenal, playing 60 or more games with their Champions League commitments.

It all points to a top four finish for City. That, or Hughes' number will sadly be up.

BIG HOPE: The Arab millions mean that City need to establish themselves among English football's elite and finish in the top four, not to mention control a dressing room full of superstars. Achieve that and Mark Hughes will be Manager of the Year

KEY IN: Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal) £25m

KEY OUT: Elano (Galatasaray) £8m.

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